Crocodile scientists Professor Graham and Giovanna Webb

Graham is one of the world's leading authorities on crocodiles. He and Giovanna first met at a crocodile conference in South America, but sparks really flew when they met again at a workshop Graham was running, with Giovanna one of his students.

She had been working in her native Colombia with caymans (a type of alligator) and she was slightly in awe of her teacher, who was such a renowned figure in the field.

Despite neither speaking the other's language, they managed a long-distance romance for a while and eventually married, which meant Giovanna settling into the Northern Territory. Not only did her English rapidly improve, but she had to get used to dealing with the "enormous" crocodiles she was introduced to - so much bigger than the caymans she was used to back home!

Graham started researching crocs in 1970 and later began full-time research into the biology and ecology of the saltwater crocodile in northern Austalia. He got frustrated with the constraints on his work by having to operate from formal institutes, so in 1978 he formed his own wildlife management and researching consulting company.

Giovanna did an animal husbandry course in Colombia and worked with caymans, iguanas and snakes for ten years. "I was looking for something different - not just chickens or pigs!" She can't understand why people get so upset at the idea of crocodiles being farmed, saying it's no different to any other animal. At Crocodylus Park they cull and use every part of the croc - the meat goes to wholesalers and the skins are sold to make, amongst other things, fashion handbags that sell for thousands of dollars.

Graham also has no patience for people who don't agree with the farming side. "They don't understand how I can fight for the conservation at the same time making them into handbags". The work he's been doing over the years has seen crocodile numbers increase, but that of course means there's more risk of attack. "Then people want to eradicate them". He says the only way to get people to tolerate predators is to make the benefits that come back as high as possible. Says Graham, "with crocodiles, that's achieved through sustainable use".

Graham won the 2001 Clunies Ross science award for his vision for wildlife conservation. Their romance is as strong as ever - maybe helped by Giovanna's tactic for coping when Graham is annoying her.

"I speak in Spanish so he can't understand me!"

Since recording this interview with Richard in 2008, Giovanna has been named as NT Rural Woman of the Year 2013.

Originally broadcast 29 July 2008.

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